diff --git a/src/implementations/BigInt.jl b/src/implementations/BigInt.jl
index feaec50..4bf0966 100644
--- a/src/implementations/BigInt.jl
+++ b/src/implementations/BigInt.jl
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 # Base.BigInt.
 
 mutability(::Type{BigInt}) = IsMutable()
+mutability(::Type{BigInt}, ::typeof(copy), ::Vararg{Type}) = IsMutable()
 
 # Copied from `deepcopy_internal` implementation in Julia:
 # https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/blob/7d41d1eb610cad490cbaece8887f9bbd2a775021/base/gmp.jl#L772
@@ -17,8 +18,21 @@ mutable_copy(x::BigInt) = Base.GMP.MPZ.set(x)
 
 promote_operation(::typeof(copy), ::Type{BigInt}) = BigInt
 
-function operate_to!(out::BigInt, ::typeof(copy), in::BigInt)
-    Base.GMP.MPZ.set!(out, in)
+function operate_to!(
+    out::BigInt,
+    ::typeof(copy),
+    in::Union{Bool,Int8,Int16,Int32,Clong,UInt8,UInt16,UInt32,Culong,BigInt},
+)
+    let f!
+        if in isa BigInt
+            f! = Base.GMP.MPZ.set!
+        elseif in isa Union{Bool,Unsigned}
+            f! = Base.GMP.MPZ.set_ui!
+        elseif in isa Signed
+            f! = Base.GMP.MPZ.set_si!
+        end
+        f!(out, in)
+    end
     return out
 end
 
@@ -28,13 +42,13 @@ operate!(::typeof(copy), x::BigInt) = x
 
 promote_operation(::typeof(zero), ::Type{BigInt}) = BigInt
 
-operate!(::typeof(zero), x::BigInt) = Base.GMP.MPZ.set_si!(x, 0)
+operate!(::typeof(zero), x::BigInt) = operate_to!(x, copy, false)
 
 # one
 
 promote_operation(::typeof(one), ::Type{BigInt}) = BigInt
 
-operate!(::typeof(one), x::BigInt) = Base.GMP.MPZ.set_si!(x, 1)
+operate!(::typeof(one), x::BigInt) = operate_to!(x, copy, true)
 
 # +
 
diff --git a/test/test_basics.jl b/test/test_basics.jl
index 7bbf154..57efa6c 100644
--- a/test/test_basics.jl
+++ b/test/test_basics.jl
@@ -64,6 +64,49 @@ test_copy_Rational_Int() = _test_copy(Rational{Int})
 
 test_copy_Rational_BigInt() = _test_copy(Rational{BigInt})
 
+function test_copy_BigInt_smallint()
+    function example_ints(t::Type{<:Integer})
+        if t <: Signed
+            [
+                typemin(t),
+                typemin(t) + t(1),
+                t(-2),
+                t(-1),
+                t(0),
+                t(1),
+                t(2),
+                typemax(t) - t(1),
+                typemax(t),
+            ]
+        elseif t <: Unsigned
+            [t(0), t(1), t(2), typemax(t) - t(1), typemax(t)]
+        elseif t == Bool
+            [false, true]
+        else
+            throw(ArgumentError("unknown type"))
+        end
+    end
+    @testset "`copy` small integer to `BigInt`" begin
+        for f! in (MA.operate_to!, MA.operate_to!!)
+            for typ in [Bool, Int8, Int16, Int32, UInt8, UInt16, UInt32]
+                for x in example_ints(typ)
+                    @test let y = BigInt(3)
+                        x == @inferred f!(y, copy, x)
+                    end
+                    @test let y = BigInt(3)
+                        y === @inferred f!(y, copy, x)
+                    end
+                    let y = BigInt(3), x = typ(0), f! = f!
+                        alloc_test(0) do
+                            return f!(y, copy, x)
+                        end
+                    end
+                end
+            end
+        end
+    end
+end
+
 function _test_mutating_step_range(::Type{T}) where {T}
     r = MA.MutatingStepRange(T(2), T(3), T(9))
     expected = MA.mutability(T) isa MA.IsMutable ? 8 * ones(T, 3) : T[2, 5, 8]